RYAN WRECKER: What Happened to Movie Theaters?

My wife and I went on a date night this past weekend. I have to admit… it’s been a long time since I’ve been to a movie theater, and a lot about the experience has changed since then. The popcorn is still expensive and the floors are still sticky. But the seats have seen a major upgrade.

I’m not sure if large reclining seats (that take up more space) are for our comfort, or an excuse to charge us more, or to help fill out a room that normally would never sell out. Maybe it’s a combination of all three.

Is the movie so underwhelming that the only way I can be engaged is if my feat are up and a back heater is turned on? Maybe the modern comforts are used to hide the lack of quality movies being released. Or maybe people have too much money to spend and don’t mind an extra $5 bucks a ticket if it means they can pick a seat and wiggle on faux leather. And yes, that was the chair, not me…

At least when you book a flight there’s a choice of first class or coach. I’m not sure I would pay extra for those chairs if given the choice of a cheaper seat with a traditional feel in the back of the theater. You know the kind with matted bubble gum hear the headrest and ineffective padding like the kind you see at the discount second-running theaters.

We saw Wonder. It was a nice film that kept my attention… and made me want to immediately give my kid a giant hug. The man next to me was hacking up a lung, and to his credit left the theater at one point which immediately improved the experience. BUT what good are the seats that recline like home if the people next to you (or behind you) can take you right out of the experience to begin with?

But then again, the movie changes aren’t marketing to people like me, who only go to the movies once every 5 years. But I thought the idea was to get away from our living room and into something bigger. It seems like we’re now trying to make it more like our house than a theater.